Nebraska Advocacy Services - The Center for Disability Rights, Law, and Advocacy

Citizen Advocacy plays an essential part in the empowerment of communities to address the isolation, segregation and oppression of people with disabilities. It is a way for local communities to respond to the need for protection of individuals with disabilities who are at risk of abuse or neglect. Local, independently operated citizen advocacy offices arrange opportunities for members of a community and citizens with disabilities to form meaningful personal relationships. The five independent Citizen Advocacy offices support a total of 136 relationships between people in the community and people with disabilities in their communities.

Our eight-year citizen advocacy expansion plan has been brought to a close, with most of its goals completed successfully. The plan called for assisting core groups of individuals in Omaha, North Platte and Scottsbluff to establish citizen advocacy programs in their communities. In addition, the plan sought to secure state funding for the existing offices in Lincoln, Grand Island and Kearney. New citizen advocacy offices were established in Omaha and North Platte. Our successful legislative strategies secured $28,500 in state funding for each of the offices. Unfortunately, the Omaha office closed, however, another new office was opened in the Beatrice/Fairbury area in 2003.

Citizen Advocacy was born in Lincoln Nebraska in 1970. The 30-Year Citizen Advocacy Conference was held on October 20 -23, 2000. Approximately 194 persons attended the Conference. Attendees came from many States across the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, England, Scotland, France, and Germany. Wolf Wolfensberger, one of the creators of Citizen Advocacy, conducted two, one-day workshops prior to the conference.